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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28534545">Concert Day</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/mdr_24601/pseuds/mdr_24601'>mdr_24601</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>you're not alone at the table anymore [12]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Umbrella Academy (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - No Sparrow Academy (Umbrella Academy), Gen, POV Alternating, POV Vanya Hargreeves, Post-Season/Series 02, no beta we die like ben</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 22:02:23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,222</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28534545</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/mdr_24601/pseuds/mdr_24601</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Vanya has a concert. She doesn't tell her siblings. </p><p>(Somehow, they still manage to support her anyway.)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Vanya Hargreeves &amp; The Hargreeves</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>you're not alone at the table anymore [12]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1958572</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>128</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Concert Day</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Vanya sighed and set her violin down for what must have been the third time since she started rehearsing. There was something different about how she played the violin now. Her medication had stifled her emotions and, subsequently, her playing. Without the pills to block her emotions, she could put more feeling into her music than ever before. </p><p>More feeling meant more power, though, so that wasn’t always a good thing. </p><p>She had been hesitant to pick up the violin again, at first. Sometimes, if she thought too hard about it, she could still feel Allison's blood drying on her bow, staining it a murky red. Or the power thrumming through her veins as her music destroyed everything in sight. </p><p>So, really, she had plenty of reasons to keep her next concert a secret from her siblings. The last time they went to one of her concerts, she ended the world. Nobody needed a repeat of that. And then there was the additional worry, the more ordinary fear, of performing in front of her siblings. A solo, nonetheless, with her being first chair. </p><p>“Vanya?”</p><p>She couldn’t stop the way her breath caught in her throat at the sound of Allison’s voice. “What?”</p><p>“We’re all having lunch,” her sister said, wearing a foreign expression of uncertainty that Vanya had never seen on her before. Not with Allison being as controlled as she was. </p><p>Well. Maybe controlled wasn’t the right word, exactly. She wasn’t sure any of them had their lives together enough to be described as controlled. “Okay,” she replied. “I’ll be down.”</p><p>Allison sent her a little smile, relief apparent in the slight relaxation of her shoulders. “Good. You sounded great, by the way. Is that a new piece?”</p><p>Vanya’s eyes glanced to her violin, sitting innocently on her bed. In all honesty, a part of her was surprised that Allison noticed she was playing something new at all. It was for her upcoming concert, not that she would tell Allison that. “Oh. Uh, yeah. Just wanted to try something new.”</p><p>“Well, it’s great.”</p><p>Allison turned and walked out of the room, and Vanya didn’t let her eyes fall back on the violin until she couldn’t hear the click of her sister’s heels anymore. </p><hr/><p>Allison almost managed to repress her flinch as Five appeared in the kitchen with a flash of blue. He looked as purposeful as ever, but what surprised her was how he slammed a piece of paper down on the table with a thud. </p><p>Klaus jumped in his seat at the interruption but soon leaned over to get a better view of the paper. “Ooh, what’s that?”</p><p>“This,” Five announced, “is a poster advertising an upcoming concert at the Icarus theater, starring first chair violinist Vanya Hargreeves.”</p><p>“Wait, Vanya has a concert?” Allison asked, peering over Five’s shoulder. “I didn’t know about this.”</p><p>“Know about what?” Diego walked into the kitchen and rummaged through the fridge, pulling out a carton of eggs. </p><p>Allison turned to him, already bristling. “Diego, if you crack a raw egg in your mouth again, I swear—”</p><p>“Could we just stay focused for two minutes?” Five asked loudly, drowning out the insufferable sound of Diego’s egg cracking on the counter. Softening his voice, Five said, “Look, there’s obviously a reason why Vanya hasn’t told us about her concert yet.”</p><p>“Vanya has a concert?” Luther walked into the room, his voice echoing in the quiet that Five had worked so hard to maintain. The teenager in question just rolled his eyes and sighed heavily. </p><p>“Keep your voice down, will you? And yes, now that we’re all here, Vanya has a concert in two weeks. A concert in which she is starring.”</p><p>“Okay, so why wouldn’t she tell us?” Luther asked, sitting down at the table. “That seems like the kind of thing you’d tell your family.”</p><p>“I don’t think we’re the best example of a normal family,” Allison muttered under her breath. Beside her, Klaus laughed. </p><p>“Allie’s right. If I was starring in a violin concert, I probably wouldn’t tell you guys, either.” He shrugged innocently at Luther’s exasperated look. “I'm just saying, I don’t blame her for not mentioning it.”</p><p>“Well, we should go, right?” Luther asked. </p><p>Five nodded. “Obviously, we’re going. But we’re not telling Vanya. If she wanted us to know, she would have told us herself. Clearly, she didn't want us to find out.”</p><p>“Isn’t Vanya going to be down here, like, any second?” Klaus asked. </p><p>Allison shrugged. “She said she’d be down soon.”</p><p>They had just enough time to hide the poster and arrange themselves nonchalantly at the table before Vanya shuffled awkwardly into the room. “Hey,” she said incredulously, shifting uncomfortably under their gaze. </p><p>Klaus was the first to break the silence. “Come sit down, Vanny, we saved you a seat!”</p><p>Just like that, the tension was broken, and Vanya joined them at the table.</p><hr/><p>Vanya pulled her coat tighter around herself as the cool night breeze made her shiver. Rehearsal had run late again, until long after the sun had set. It was all preparations for the concert, so she couldn’t bring herself to mind the late nights. That didn’t make them any less tiring, though. </p><p>It was unlikely that anyone would actually be asleep when she walked into the house, but she wasn’t expecting to see anyone around, either. </p><p>“Back from rehearsal?”</p><p>She jumped, startled, at the sudden flash of blue that appeared in the kitchen. “Jesus, Five. How’d you even know I would be down here?”</p><p>Five shrugged. “Lucky guess.” His hands began the quick work of making two peanut butter and marshmallow sandwiches, almost habitually. For a long time, when they were kids, it had been a habit. Vanya couldn’t help the warmth that bloomed in her chest at the sight, even after all these years. </p><p>“So, what are you doing up?” Vanya asked after a moment, reaching for her sandwich. </p><p>“I wanted a snack.”</p><p>She raised her eyebrows at this, but said nothing. It wasn’t unusual for Five to get a snack during the night, but it was unusual for him to do it while their other siblings were still awake. He went to great lengths to avoid interaction, she knew. “Okay,” she said instead. </p><p>She and Five ate in silence, which might have been uncomfortable if it were anyone else. But silence had never been uncomfortable with him.</p><p>“I think I’m going to get ready for bed,” she said, moments later. Quietly, not wanting to disturb the stillness of the late hour, she rinsed her plate off in the sink and made her way upstairs. “Goodnight.”</p><p>“Goodnight, Vanya.” A flash of blue, then he was gone. </p><p>Vanya had never had a heavy tread, so she was surprised when Diego’s door opened at the sound of her footsteps. “Late night?” he asked her. </p><p>A small part of her, the lonely teenage part, froze on the spot at having Diego, Number Two of all people, address her. But she inhaled deeply, wiped her sweaty palms on her pants, and said, “Yeah. Rehearsal ran late.”</p><p>Diego nodded, examining her for a moment, before he said, “Well, goodnight.”</p><p>“Goodnight,” she echoed, puzzled. Five saying goodnight to her wasn’t unusual; it was natural, even. But Diego? Maybe she was just overthinking, but she had the feeling something was going on. </p><p>She would think about it in the morning, though. Now, all she wanted was to curl up in bed and sleep for the next week. Anything else could wait until she was rested. </p><p>The next morning, Vanya opened her bleary eyes to the mid-morning sunlight filtering in through her curtains and a plate of waffles on her bedside table. </p><hr/><p>“What do you mean, you’re out of tickets?” Five practically snarled. </p><p>The man at the ticket booth only glanced at the five of them with a wary expression. “I’m sorry. Tickets sold out days ago. I don’t think we could get you one, never mind five.”</p><p>“Well, figure it out! We need those tickets, do you understand?”</p><p>“Sorry about him,” Klaus said, pulling Five back so he could stand at the front of the booth. Dropping his voice solemnly, he said, “His mother just passed away recently, and he’s been having a hard time managing. So tragic, I know. So I would really appreciate it if you could find a way to make this little boy’s dreams come true by getting us those tickets.”</p><p>“I’m sorry,” the man said, softer this time. “You’re too late to reserve seats.”</p><p>“Let me talk to him,” Diego said, pushing his way to the front, hand already reaching for a knife. </p><p>Allison grabbed his shoulder and wrenched him back. “Diego, no. I’ll handle it.” She squared her shoulders, put on her best smile, and said, “I know you’ve said you’re out of tickets, but is there any way you could make an exception? I’m sure we’d all be very grateful. Grateful enough to reserve seats by the deadline next time, even.”</p><p>“You’re Allison Hargreeves,” the man said, dumbfounded. “My daughter’s a huge fan. We saw you in the bank movie!”</p><p>“Did you?” Allison asked, tone light. “What was your favorite part?”</p><p>“Well, the part where you broke in is objectively the best,” he said, tickets forgotten. “But my daughter always says the first kiss is her favorite.”</p><p>She nodded, smiling slightly. “Those are both great parts, aren’t they? Would your daughter like an autograph?”</p><p>He beamed. “She’d love it!” Allison scrawled her name on a spare piece of paper. She was about to walk away when the man said, “I’ll see what I can do about getting you those tickets.”</p><p>Allison nodded and joined her siblings back at the car. “Got the tickets,” she said with a satisfied smile. </p><p>Klaus whooped. “Go Allison!”</p><p>They made their way back home, careful not to disturb Vanya, who was practicing in her bedroom. </p><p>“She sounds really good, doesn’t she?” Allison asked Five as they stopped outside of Vanya’s door. “How did we not notice before?”</p><p>Her brother shrugged. “We didn’t notice a lot of things before.”</p><p>Five was gone before Allison could blink, and she let herself relax to the sound of Vanya’s music drifting through the door. </p><hr/><p>The first thing Vanya noticed on the morning of her concert was the tightness of her chest and the uncomfortable churning in her gut. Of course, she knew the feelings of nerves well. As far as her siblings knew, though, today was just another day of rehearsal. </p><p>She just hoped they wouldn’t notice the extra bag she was using to carry her concert suit. </p><p>As she woke up a bit more, her eyes landed on her violin case, sitting propped up on her chair. Before she could stop herself, she took a deep breath, grabbed her violin, and walked downstairs.</p><p>To her surprise, the kitchen was lively and full when she entered. It was still early, early enough for many of her siblings to still be sleeping. </p><p>“Hey, Vanya,” Luther said, pulling out her chair at the table. Everyone responded with the same sentiment, saying hello or good morning. </p><p>“Here, take my pancakes,” Allison said, handing her a plate. “I’m not hungry.”</p><p>She stared down at her plate of food that her siblings had made for her, and tried not to think of how nervous she was. Her stomach hurt and the thought of eating made her head spin, but she forced herself to eat at least half of the plate. She would need the energy. </p><p>The morning seemed to drag on forever, but at noon, she said goodbye to her siblings and left the Academy, violin in hand. As she walked to the theater, she began to wonder if perhaps she should have invited her family after all. Five, at least. It would be nice to have some support. </p><p>But it was too late now. Vanya had made the decision not to invite them weeks ago, and for a good reason. Why should she go back on her word now? Besides, the concert was in only a few hours. Not much could be done, anyway. </p><p>Still, she didn’t have any friends in the orchestra, and seeing everyone have somebody else to share the night with caused a pang in her heart. </p><p>But it was fine. Really, it was. This wasn’t her first concert she’d performed without her family there, and it certainly wouldn’t be her last. Vanya could manage on her own, because it’s what she’d always done. First chair or not, this concert was no different than any other. </p><p>As she stepped onto the stage and settled into the front row of chairs, though, she was beginning to think differently. Soon enough, there would be no time for thinking, only music. </p><p>Just before the lights dimmed, Vanya caught a glimpse of the audience. Through her shaking hands and rapid breathing, she could focus enough to see her family grinning widely at her from the front row. Allison waved, and Klaus gave a thumbs up. Even Five sent her a small smile. </p><p>“You came,” Vanya whispered, even though she knew they couldn’t hear her. </p><p>The house lights dimmed and the stage lights brightened, warming her shoulders. Feeling her tense muscles relax, Vanya glanced once more in the direction of her family, raised her bow, and began to play.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is my first work of 2021! I hope you liked this one, and be sure to leave kudos or a comment if you enjoyed. Thanks for reading. &lt;3</p></blockquote></div></div>
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